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Alastair Cook joined an elite list of cricketers who have scored a century both on debut as well as in their swansong thanks to his knock against India on Monday.

Updated: Sep 10, 2018 23:47:17

By HT Correspondent

England's Alastair Cook celebrates after reaching his century at the Oval.
(REUTERS)

Alastair Cook broke a number of records in the final innings of his Test career as he scored a brilliant century on Day 4 of the fifth Test match against India at the Oval on Monday.

Cook joined an elite list of cricketers who have scored a century both on debut as well as in their swansong. Cook scored a century in the 2nd innings of his debut Test, against India, in Nagpur in 2006.

The former England captain is the fifth batsman in the history of Test cricket to complete this achievement. Australia’s Reginald Duff scored 104 against England in the second innings of his debut Test at Melbourne in January 1902. He played the last of his 22 Test matches, three years later, at The Oval in London and went on to score 146 against England.

The second batsman to accomplish this feat was also an Australian. Bill Ponsford scored 110 on debut against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground in December 1924. He would play the last of his 29 Test matches against England at the Oval ten years later. In that match, Ponsford scored a mammoth 266 in the first innings. He retired after scoring 2122 runs at an average of 48.22.

The third batsman in the list also hails from down under. Former Australian captain Greg Chappell slammed 108 against England on his Test debut at Perth in December 1970. He went on to wear the famous ‘Baggy Green’ cap in 87 Test matches, scoring 7110 runs at an average of 53.86. Chappell brought the curtains down on his famous career with a knock of 182 against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January 1984.

Mohammed Azharuddin is the only Indian to be a part of this illustrious list. The former India captain made a roaring impact on international cricket as he scored three centuries in his first four innings. Azhar scored 110 against England at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on his Test debut in December 1984.

Cook also became the highest Test run-scorer among the left-handed batsmen. The 33-year old went past Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara (12400) to add another achievement to his illustrious career. When it comes to the complete list, he is fifth with Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid ahead of him.